Copper is actually pretty useful outside of Scadrial.

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

So, everyone knows that the lamest metal of the main eight is copper, Right? It basically only has one purpose, and that's to counteract bronze (Well, I suppose it does have another use, and that's to counteract emotional allomancy.)

 

But anyway, let's think back to Surgebinding. Szeth comments during the assassination of the king of Jah Keved that he can't Lash a man in Shardplate. Shardplate, and presumably the Nahel Bond, prevents Surges from manipulating the subject's body (like Jasnah soulcasting the thugs into fire, crystal, and smoke).

 

So what I'm thinking is that copper isn't simply a counter to bronze, Since copper also has the side-effect of protecting one's emotions being manipulated, it's reasonable to presume that its true purpose is to protect the user's cognitive aspect from outside manipulation. It's an ability that could be useful on many shardworlds. A smoker couldn't be soulcast or lashed so long as he was burning copper. 

Edited December 15, 2014 by mckeedee123

[king of nowhere]

it is possible, but anyway it wouldn't be immunity. a coppercloud can be pierced with enough power. vin could still feel the lord ruler's soothing despite burning copper.

And the magic of roshar involves huge amounts of investiture. so I'd wager that a radiant can pierce the effect of copper pretty easily.

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

Well, exactly what proof do you have for this?

 

Evidence? Hmm... No. I was just thinking about how bronze and copper would work realmatically, and I thought of this.

 

Though I might want to change the title to: "Copper might be pretty useful outside of Scadrial" 

[Oudeis he/him]

And the magic of roshar involves huge amounts of investiture. so I'd wager that a radiant can pierce the effect of copper pretty easily.

 

Shallan showed that simple power isn't everything in Soulcasting.

[Moogle]

Hm. If the true use of the metal is to hide your presence in the Cognitive, it doesn't explain why those inside a coppercloud don't also have their emotions protected. (They can be protected if the Smoker practices the right techniques, but it doesn't happen by default.) I think that suggests it's a bit more complicated than that.

 

I've thought the effect might be more like 'dampening' the world around you so that your used Investiture won't disperse as far or something along those lines (and similarly, incoming Investiture manipulations like those from zinc/brass also "fall short" as they travel to you - which is speculation on my part, we have no idea how zinc/brass really work mechanically as far as I know). I'm thinking it could hide your Breath aura, or make it seem like you're not holding Stormlight, or least make it less noticeable.

Edited December 7, 2014 by Ookla the Infinite

[Moogle]

Lift taking in a miniscule amount of Stormlight was detected by Nalan, so there's certainly ways to know when it's happening, and the amount of Breath someone has can be detected by an Awakener. Awakeners with a lot of Breath can also detect Awakened objects.

 

You might very well be able to see the effects of burning a metal if you stick a camera down someone's stomach. Scadrial is a "low-Investiture" world, and Mistborn don't really seem to use a whole lot of Investiture. You don't really glow without a lot of Investiture. Still, I'd give it a 60% chance of finding that the Allomancer's stomach lights up when a metal burns, and I'd be quite interested in knowing if a glow (if it's found) is hidden when copper is burned.

 

(Also, Elend lit up like a Christmas tree to Vin's senses when he burned atium and she was a Shard. We don't know a whole lot about Shard-o-vision, but I still find that interesting.)

 

If copper indeed is hiding your Cognitive self, why can you push on metal hidden in a Coppercloud? Shouldn't it be hidden? Why are zinc/brass blocked, but not iron/steel?

 

I'm just speculating that the 'leaked' Investiture, from when someone burns a metal and the Investiture they took into them is used and leaves their body, or when Breath leaks/when Stormlight leaks, is what Allomantic bronze is detecting.

[SmurfAquamarineBodies he/him]

 

(Also, Elend lit up like a Christmas tree to Vin's senses when he burned atium and she was a Shard. We don't know a whole lot about Shard-o-vision, but I still find that interesting.)

 

 

He lit up just Burning mundane metals didn't he?

 

If not he was burning the body of a Shard which would have made him heavily Invested at that moment.